Work Text:
“What’s the matter?”
The Prussian blue-haired boy blinked, alerting himself to the source of the voice. His two amber eyes dazzled as they focused on the baby blue figure, lips naturally forming a curve as he emitted a soft chuckle. Closing in their distance on the full-sized bed, the boy could not resist the urge to poke fun at the other. “Chongyun,” he teased, “how long have you been staring at me exactly?”
Receiving such a sudden question caught Chongyun off guard. He felt the tips of his ears heat up on their own, so he rapidly summoned cryo energy to focus around the area to somewhat pretend such an embarrassing moment never happened. Much to his dismay, his bedmate never failed to see through his clumsy coverups. Cursing inwardly at his unsuccessful attempt to conceal what he had been doing for the past few minutes, he gulped down the imaginary bland taste of his handy popsicles. That surely was one of the vital moments where he needed them the most.
Racking his brain all over to find a reasonable excuse, he glanced at the sheepishly grinning boy. Figuring his struggle would only further delight the other boy, he decided to swallow his sense of shame and come out with the truth full of pride. Puffing up his cheeks, he confessed his thoughts straight out to his best pal Xingqiu.
“I didn’t mean to,” he blushed. “I was just wondering if I could help you with sleeping since you seemed to be having a hard time, but I didn’t know how to approach you well when you looked so seriously in thought.”
If Xingqiu didn’t know any better, he wouldn’t have figured such an adorably awkward, fuzzy type of guy would be one capable of wielding heavy tons of claymores. Giggling to himself thinking about Chongyun’s contrasting behavior, he pointed out, “My, my. Do tell, how do you plan on helping me sleep?”
It was the second time he flustered Chongyun that day. Chongyun grumbled to himself, maddeningly murmuring complaints that went along the lines of asking why Xingqiu had to make simple things sound so suggestive. Finally peeking at the hydro user, he answered, “I could give you a back massage or fetch you a warm towel.”
Holding in a laugh, Xingqiu shook his head. He didn’t want his lovable friend to even bother going through all that trouble to help him through one of his frequent sleepless nights. It was just not worth the struggle. However, Xingqiu pondered about the situation and felt that it was simply foolish to pass up the rare opportunity that presented itself in front of him. Like a lion aiming for its prey, the ends of his lips mischievously turned up as he pounced.
“Give me your hands,” Xingqiu requested.
Chongyun easily complied with his friend’s request and laid out both hands in front of the other, confused about what he should do next with them. Sensing his friend’s confusion, he directed his friend’s hands to his own. Warm flesh against another, intertwining sleek fingers to the rougher ones from the young exorcist, Xingqiu’s heart started to pick up a higher pace.
The first time he felt that strange, blossoming feeling at the pit of his stomach was when he was alone with Chongyun as well. It was when they ventured together along the gloomy Wuwang Hill, resting their bodies on the soft grass after an unsuccessful expedition of finding spirits to exorcise--similar to their moment on the bed then. What Xingqiu assumed to be an illness from the accumulated stress he obtained from all the nights he spent awake without any shut-eye turned out to be part of a bigger circulation--one so bitterly sweet, involving his ever-growing flood of emotions towards the boy in front of him.
Afraid of being too brash about it, he held the tap of his warm sentiments strongly shut, only leaking about every few moments with light bodily touches and hints. He could only hope that his friend felt the same way, if not similarly. With hopeful eyes, he shifted his sight from their interlocked hands to scan at the other’s face. Chongyun’s features were so irresistibly charming even under the room’s minimum lighting. Baby blue orbs with a sheer layer of red tint on the tip of his nose and some on his cheeks, surely, Xingqiu’s feelings would not falter anytime soon. Closing the silence with a soft chuckle under his breath, he commented, “You are surprisingly warm for someone with a cryo vision.”
Smiling with his eyes, Chongyun gripped at their connection tighter. Lips coming closer to Xingqiu's ears, he whispered gently, “And you, silly martial arts fanatic, are quite chilly for someone with a hydro vision.”
Xingqiu smirked and opened his mouth a little wider when Chongyun suddenly placed a finger in front of his lips. Hushing him up before he made any more snarky remarks, he told the Guhua Guru to shut his eyes and to just take a rest. This comment elicited a joyful giggle from the boy, shifting his body on the soft mattress to find a comfortable position. He cheekily grinned from ear to ear while showing off their connected hands, saying, "I suppose with your hands in mine, I wouldn't have a problem with sleeping tonight."
Later on that night, Xingqiu fell asleep for the first time in several days. As Chongyun had been worried for his friend's health for some time, he easily smiled at the sleeping figure. He was delighted that his aid was successful, noting the calm rising motion of his friend's chest. Caring about Xingqiu only felt natural for him at that point.
“I won’t feel my hands by tomorrow, but I suppose seeing him sleep so peacefully like this is worth the soreness. Maybe if he wanted, we could spend time like this always. Hand in hand, experiencing simple joys together. I will have to ask him about this in the morning. Sleep well now, you overthinker.”